When Elexiana Oliva walks through the halls of Muscatine Community College (MCC), she’s not just another student—she’s an ambassador and an advocate for the opportunities education offers.
Oliva is also set to graduate in May with an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice, an achievement that only took her two semesters thanks to Career Academy courses she completed in high school.
Next, she plans to transfer to Sam Houston State University in Texas to finish her bachelor’s degree. Oliva’s goal is to become a police officer and eventually a detective.
“I’ve always loved Texas, and Sam Houston State is the top school for criminal justice in the state,” she said. “It’s also ranked high nationally, and my dad lives there, too. It’s a good state—very warm,” she said.
Attending MCC was an easy decision. “I didn’t have to jump into dorm life, figure out meals, or manage a car right away. Plus, I took dual credit classes in high school and received scholarships which covered my tuition. I didn’t have to go into debt,” she said.
The campus also offered many opportunities to get involved. Oliva is Student Senate president and a student ambassador; a role Criminal Justice Instructor Jason Elswik nominated her to fill. “I give campus tours to new and prospective students. We also visit high schools to talk about the college and why students should come here,” she said.
“I tell them it’s very affordable, especially if you get scholarships. Right now, I have a full ride because of scholarships and the classes I took in high school. The environment is also very welcoming, and the teachers are helpful. The career academies are great, too—students have so many options,” Oliva said.
Recently, she toured two groups of high school students from China around campus: one from Beijing and Zhengding, which is Muscatine’s sister city. “We showed them the MIT building, including the welding simulator, and then took them to the Career Advancement Center to see the criminal justice simulator,” she said.
Friends from our Sister City, Zhengding trying out our welding simulator Friends from our Sister City, Zhengding trying out our criminal justice simulator Friends from our Sister City, Zhengding trying out our criminal justice simulator. Friends from our Sister City, Zhengding touring our health care labs Friends from our Sister City, Zhengding touring our health care labs. Friends from our Sister City, Zhengding touring our Career Advancement Center.
As she describes it, the simulator is like a video game, but more advanced. The instructor controls the simulation, and a screen displays different scenarios that a police officer may encounter, like traffic stops, domestic violence calls, and hostage situations. The students are tasked with diffusing the situation, and are equipped with a weighted, simulated firearm with a laser sight, allowing them to see where they are aiming.
Playing out these real-world situations has helped Oliva build the verbal skills she needs to work in law enforcement, and provided hands-on experience she can build on when she enters the police academy.
“They were surprised by how high-tech our campus is,” Oliva said about the students from China. “They didn’t expect a small college to have so much technology. In China, people can’t own a gun unless they are in law enforcement, so many had never held one before. They were surprised we could use a simulator,” she said.
“They also thought the community college was huge, which surprised me. From what I’ve seen online, China has massive, high-tech buildings, so I didn’t expect them to think our school was big,” she added.
Oliva was happy to share information about the campus and her MCC experience. “If they’re considering studying in the U.S., I wanted them to see what it’s like here. I also wanted to show them that, even in a small town, there are so many career options and their possibilities are endless.”